The Anglo-Hispano-Swiss quartet who constitute Spymonkey power their
physical comedy along with a neat conceit. Supposedly, old-school actor
Forbes Murdston has recruited a company "to help him represent a sad episode
in his recent life," the death and funeral of his wife; however, the other
performers turn out to be unable to stick to his solemn script. Thus, while
Toby Park as Murdston remains sombre and stone-faced throughout, he is
increasingly frustrated by the incompetence and interpolated routines of
his colleagues.

Of course, it's all deliberate and a black delight. Aitor Basauri as
undertaker Mr Graves (pronounced GRA-vess) and his colleague Mr Keller
(Stephan Kreiß) are eager to please but comically lacking in the
memory department, whilst Petra Massey as their embalmer flirts obsessively
with the bereaved, turning up at one point in a funereal ra-ra mini-dress.

The four performers constantly and cheekily play with theatrical and
staging conventions, entering and exiting through unexpected parts of Lucy
Bradridge's ingenious set and conducting a bizarrely hilarious dance routine
with the late Mrs Murdston's dismembered body parts in the coffin. I have
often been disappointed by physical comedy on the Fringe, but Stiff
and 3 Dark Tales make this a vintage year for such work.